Williams, who was selected right after Kyrie Irving in the 2011 draft, appeared in 428 NBA games across seven seasons from 2011-18 before spending several years in Europe. The veteran forward, who will turn 34 this May, last suited up for Panathinaikos in Greece during the 2022/23 season.

The Mets de Guaynabo also made another notable roster announcement this week, indicating (via Instagram) that they’ve reacquired the rights to four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, who last played for the team in 2023.

According to Joseph Reboyras of Primera Hora (Twitter link), former NBA guard J.J. Barea, who is currently the Mets’ head coach, said a few days ago that Cousins’ return isn’t yet a lock. However, the former NBA center, who is now 34, has shown interest in returning to Puerto Rico for the coming season and was scheduled to meet with Barea this week to discuss the possibility.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

• In a massive feature article, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranks all 30 NBA front offices, from the Thunder at No. 1 to the Bulls at No. 30. Quinn divided teams into 11 separate tiers, with the Celtics (No. 2) and Spurs (No. 3) joining Oklahoma City in the top group, while the Mavericks (No. 27), Suns (No. 28), and the Kings (No. 29) rounded out the bottom tier..
• Former NBA forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who appeared in 69 games for New York from 2016-18, has announced his retirement from the Lithuanian national team and won’t compete in EuroBasket 2025 this offseason, as Eurohoops relays. “I feel that now is the right moment to say thank you and step aside,” Kuzminskas said as part of a larger statement.
• Jeremy Woo of ESPN (Insider link) takes a look at 15 of the NCAA freshman who have emerged as top prospects for the 2025 NBA draft and poses one key questions for each player, including how high Cooper Flagg‘s offensive ceiling is, whether Kasparas Jakucionis‘ modest athleticism will limit him, and whether Tre Johnson can improve his shot selection.

“He’s seen two specialists, and they still don’t know what to do,” Nurse said, per Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports (Twitter link).

According to Nurse, Gordon is expected to receive more medical opinions on his wrist before he and the team decide on a treatment plan. While there’s a possibility the injury can be managed, there’s also a scenario in which it keeps the veteran shooting guard sidelined for a “long time,” Nurse acknowledged.

We have more from around the Atlantic:

• In other Sixers injury news, forward Paul George confirmed last week’s report from Shams Charania, which said that he had been receiving injections in order to play through various health issues, including tendon damage in his finger. “I’m hanging in there,” George said on Thursday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m giving this team everything I have. The report is true. You know, I am taking some sorts of medicines to kind of, I guess, play through pain. But yeah, I’m going to try to give everything I got.” As Pompey writes, with George and Joel Embiid both at less than 100% and Philadelphia holding a 20-35 record, it would be “completely understandable” if the team decides to shut down its two stars for the season, though there has been no indication that will happen.
• After missing the Celtics‘ last four games prior to the All-Star break due to a right shoulder issue, Jrue Holiday returned on Thursday and played 20 minutes in a win over Philadelphia. As Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays, Holiday said the injury had been nagging him “for a little bit,” but that it “feels really good” now after the team’s training staff insisted he take some time off. “Sometimes they’ve got to save you from yourself,” he said. “Especially for me, if it’s a game I want to play. You play through injuries, you play through being hurt but sometimes it’s smarter to take a little bit of time especially since we’re at the second half of the season. Obviously I would have played through it, which I feel a lot of us do, is play through injuries. All testament to the training staff.”
• Knicks forward Josh Hart will miss a second consecutive game on Friday in Cleveland due to patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee), writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. With Hart out on Thursday vs. Chicago, Miles McBride got his first start of the year and scored a season-high 23 points in a tight overtime win, as Peter Botte of The New York Post details.
• While Hart will be out on Friday, another injured Knicks forward – OG Anunoby – is on track to return to action. Anunoby, who has been on the shelf since February 1 due to a sprained foot, is expected to be available vs. the Cavaliers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

There are 524 players currently in the NBA and only 148 remain eligible, according to Russo. Among the current eligible players, only 108 are on pace to play 65 games. Russo provides a comprehensive spreadsheet on the eligibility of players throughout the league.

We have more from around the basketball world:

• Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns and Lakers guard Gabe Vincent were elected by the Players Association’s Board of Representatives as vice presidents on the NBPA Executive Committee, ESPN’s Shams Charania tweets. Additionally, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown was reelected as a VP.
• Cleveland is likely to be awarded the next WNBA franchise, Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal reports. The new franchise will begin play in 2028. Multiple sources told Friend that Cleveland’s approximate bid was a league record $250MM. An official announcement is expected no later than March. The WNBA is also considering scrapping its original plan of adding one team and could award one or two more franchises to bring its league total to 18 clubs. Philadelphia, Houston, Nashville, Detroit and Miami are the other cities in the running for a franchise.
• Mac McClung‘s three straight triumphs in the annual Dunk Contest on All-Star weekend proves that the event doesn’t need star power, Jason Jones of The Athletic opines. Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed some interest on social media of participating in next year’s competition but Jones argues that it’s more important to have entrants who are passionate about the art of dunking and performing on a grand stage.

The All-Star Game hasn’t been held in Boston since 1964. The Celtics’ bid had been put on hold as the league determines other scheduling commitments, Washburn adds.

With the refurbishing of Boston’s TD Garden and the construction of additional hotels over the past several years, commissioner Adam Silver has previously stated that the city would be an ideal candidate for a future All-Star weekend.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

• Nic Claxton has reestablished himself as the Nets’ defensive anchor in recent weeks, Andrew Crane of the New York Post writes. After averaging 1.1 blocks per game in his first 40 games this season, Claxton has swatted an average of 3.1 attempts in the last seven contests, including a five-block night against Philadelphia. Claxton is in the first year of a four-year, $97MM contract.
• Following the departure of Ben Simmons via a buyout, Brian Lewis of the New York Post anticipates that D’Angelo Russell and Trendon Watford will soak up more minutes. After missing six weeks due to hamstring injury, Watford returned on January 29. He has averaged in 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 20.2 minutes per game this month for the Nets.
• Knicks rookie Pacome Dadiet has renewed his Ivorian citizenship, according to Basketnews.com. That could pave the way for Dadiet to play for Ivory Coast in international competitions. Dadiet has represented France at various youth international levels. Dadiet, a late first-round selection, has appeared in 13 games this season.

The Celtics have been starved for defensive wing help off the bench. During his Celtics debut, a 116-103 win over San Antonio on Wednesday, Craig flashed plenty of the 3-and-D game that convinced the team’s brass to bring him aboard.

Robb notes that, should Craig play well for the club during the home stretch of the season and the playoffs, the Celtics would probably be happy to retain him on a veteran’s minimum contract. Robb speculates that the 2024/25 season could be the last year the club’s current top eight players remain together, due to huge luxury tax penalties.

Hitting pay dirt with cost-effective veteran additions like Craig could prove critical for the team going forward.

There’s more out of Boston:

• The Celtics’ impending sale could have a major impact on the team’s roster in the coming seasons, Robb writes. For just 2025/26, the Celtics are projected to owe $513MM in salary and luxury tax penalties — a league record. A new ownership group may be reticent to foot that bill in the future. With the possible of exception of aging Jrue Holiday‘s pricey salary, Robb notes that the rest of the team’s core pieces have fairly tradable deals.
• Celtics reserve guard Payton Pritchard has evolved into a masterful marksman and a top Sixth Man of the Year candidate this season. As Jay King of The Athletic details, Pritchard brought in multiple professional or NCAA players to push him in workouts four or five days a week over the summer. He also worked to improve his jump-shooting off the bounce, and to up his conditioning. “It’s just putting myself in different situations,” Pritchard said. “It’s not necessarily doing a certain drill, it’s certain situations where they’re guarding me, what’s the right shot to get to here? If they play it a certain way, if I’m on this side of the court and they guard me at this angle, then I should get to this shot, these shots. Just having an arsenal for those different things.”
• Celtics team president Brad Stevens, a former standout coach at Butler, has shut down rumors that he could be a candidate for the head coaching gig at Indiana, he informed Jeff Goodman of The Field Of 68 (Twitter link). “I thoroughly appreciate being a Celtic and love the people I get to work with every day,” Stevens said.

10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, one of the most prolific scorers in league history, and three-time former Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard headline the list from the NBA side. Former All-Star forwards Marques Johnson and Buck Williams also made the final group.

The 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, a repeat nominee, moved on to this final round of consideration.

A total of 189 candidates for enshrinement were initially announced in December.

WNBA superstars Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and Maya Moore — all first-time nominees — made the cut. Coaches Billy Donovan, Mark Few and Jerry Welsh are also now finalists. Heat owner Micky Arison, who has won three championships with Miami, is among this final 17 as a contributor.

The full 2025 Hall of Fame class will be announced in San Antonio at the NCAA Tournament on April 5.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

• Following a more active-than-usual trade deadline, several teams have new financial outlooks in 2025/26 and beyond. Keith Smith of Spotrac breaks down which clubs do and don’t project to have cap room this summer in the wake of a litany of moves.
• Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell is expected to be a top contender for the head coaching vacancy at Florida State, reports Steve Bulpett of Heavy. “Once the athletic department reaches out to me, then (FSU’s interest) is official,” Cassell told Bulpett. “The athletic director hasn’t reached out to me yet.” Cassell, an All-Star and champion as a player, has interviewed for head coaching positions with the Lakers and Clippers. “Listen, man, I have a great life. I’m associate head coach of the Boston Celtics. It’s good livin’ right here.”
• The 2025 All-Star break is generally seen as a time for teams to take stock of their personnel and assets and appraise where they stand around the league — and for pundits to do the same. Accordingly, The Athletic’s staff grades the seasons of all 30 teams heading into the break.

As of January 23, a total of 14 teams projected to be taxpayers, Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter links) observes, with the 16 non-taxpayers on track to receive about $17.8MM apiece, which would have been the largest payout in NBA history.

But the Cavaliers, Pelicans, Clippers, and Sixers all ducked the tax line with their pre-deadline moves, while a few other teams remained in the tax but took steps to significantly reduce their end-of-season bills. Milwaukee, for instance, had been projected to pay about $74.8MM in tax penalties, but has since reduced that figure by more than half, according to Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom.

Here are the current projected tax penalties, per Pincus’ data:

1. Phoenix Suns: $152.26MM
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: $84.85MM
3. Boston Celtics: $53.45MM
4. Los Angeles Lakers: $52.53MM
5. New York Knicks: $36.45MM
6. Milwaukee Bucks: $32.66MM
7. Denver Nuggets: $20.36MM
8. Golden State Warriors: $12.36MM
9. Dallas Mavericks: $6.39MM
10. Miami Heat: $4.18MM
    Total: $455.49MM

These numbers will fluctuate a little before the end of the season. For instance, the Lakers recently increased their projected bill when they signed Alex Len to a rest-of-season contract, and the Warriors will need to make multiple roster additions in the near future, which will cause their bill to rise. Various contract incentives that go earned or unearned could also impact the end-of-season tax figures.

Based on the current figures from Pincus, each non-taxpayer is projected to receive a payout of about $11.4MM. That figure is determined by cutting the total league-wide tax penalties in half, then dividing them evenly among the non-taxpaying teams (in this case, 20 clubs).

As significant as the Suns’ tax penalty projects to be, especially for a team currently flirting with .500, it won’t be a single-season record — Golden State has actually exceeded $152.26MM in tax payments in each of the past three years (2022-24).

Assuming these are the 10 teams that finish the season in tax territory, the Celtics, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Bucks, and Suns would all be subject to repeater penalties in 2025/26 if they’re taxpayers again next season.

Those figures hinge on a presumed 10% salary cap increase for the ’25/26 season. Butler’s deal will start at 35% of the cap, with a 5% raise for the second year. Based on the maximum possible cap increase, which is anticipated, that would work out to a two-year total of $110,959,223 for the newest Warrior.

Meanwhile, Hoops Rumors has learned that Quinten Post‘s new standard two-year contract is a minimum-salary contract that includes a team option for 2025/26. The Warriors will have the ability to either exercise that $1.96MM for next season or turn it down in the hopes of signing the big man to a longer-term contract as a restricted free agent.

Here are a few more updates on recently signed contracts from around the NBA:

• Ajay Mitchell‘s new two-year, $6MM contract with the Thunder includes a guaranteed $3MM for the rest of this season, which comes out of Oklahoma City’s room exception. It also features a $3MM team option for 2025/26, which means – like Golden State with Post – Oklahoma City could decline the option in order to sign Mitchell to a longer-term deal as a restricted free agent this summer.
• Torrey Craig‘s new contract with the Celtics is a one-year, minimum-salary deal, Hoops Rumors has learned, so the veteran wing will be back on the unrestricted free agent market during the coming offseason.
• While Branden Carlson (Thunder), Orlando Robinson (Raptors), and Jordan Goodwin (Lakers) signed two-way contracts that will expire at season’s end, Ethan Thompson‘s new two-way deal with the Magic covers two years, so Orlando will have the option of keeping him on that contract through the 2025/26 season, Hoops Rumors has learned.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

With the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Monday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)

Teams with multiple open roster spots

• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Golden State Warriors
• Philadelphia 76ers *
• Sacramento Kings *

The Cavaliers dipped to 13 players on standard contracts as a result of Thursday’s De’Andre Hunter trade, so their situation is fairly straightforward — they’ll have to re-add a 14th man by February 20.

The Warriors‘ four-for-one Jimmy Butler trade dropped them to just 11 players. They quickly got back to 12 by promoting Quinten Post from his two-way contract to a standard roster spot and now have three openings on their standard roster, along with one open two-way slot.

Golden State doesn’t have to fill all those openings, but the team does have to get back to at least 14 players on standard contracts by Feb. 20. Assuming Post got a prorated rookie minimum salary on his new deal, the Warriors – by my count – have $1,372,306 in breathing room below their first-apron hard cap.

If the Warriors were to sign a pair of veterans to rest-of-season minimum deals on Feb. 20, they would each count for $635,853 against the cap, leaving the team with $100,600 in breathing room below the hard cap. It’s possible Golden State will go that route. It’s also possible the club will sign a couple players to 10-day contracts, then go another 14 days in March with just 12 players under contract in order to create a bit of extra wiggle room below that hard cap. That would allow the Warriors to sign a 15th man a little earlier in the second half.

The Sixers briefly dropped to 12 players on standard contracts at the trade deadline, but they’re back to 14 now, having promoted Justin Edwards to a standard contract and given Chuma Okeke a 10-day deal. They’re expected to sign David Roddy to a 10-day contract too, which will give them a full standard roster.

For now then, no roster moves are necessary in Philadelphia, but the team does have a two-way slot open and could drop back to 13 players on standard deals after Okeke’s and Roddy’s 10-day contracts expire, which would necessitate a least one addition within 14 days.

The Kings are currently carrying 12 players on full-season standard contracts, with Daishen Nix on a 10-day deal. They’ll have to get back to 14 players by Feb. 20.

Teams with one open roster spot

• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Brooklyn Nets
• Charlotte Hornets *
• Dallas Mavericks
• Indiana Pacers
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• New York Knicks
• Toronto Raptors
• Utah Jazz

The Hawks, Celtics, Nets, Mavericks, Bucks, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Knicks, Raptors, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

Two teams that can’t fill their openings sooner rather than later are Dallas and New York. The Knicks are just $540,126 below their second-apron hard cap, while the Mavericks have a mere $171,120 to operate below their first-apron hard cap. Based on my math, New York would be able to sign a veteran free agent as a 15th man as of February 28 (that date moved up a day as a result of the Knicks trimming $4,825 from their cap in the Delon Wright/Jericho Sims swap), while Dallas will have to wait until March 31.

The Hornets are in this group because they have a two-way slot open, but their standard roster is full for now. In fact, it’s more than full — as a result of having been granted a hardship exception, they’re temporarily carrying 16 players instead of the usual maximum of 15. Elfrid Payton, on a 10-day deal, is the 16th man.

The Pacers and Clippers, meanwhile, each technically have an open roster spot for now, but they reportedly have deals in place with prospective 15th men. Indiana will sign center Alex Len once he clears waivers, while L.A. will add three-time All-Star Ben Simmons. Both players are on track to clear waivers on Monday.

Teams with no open roster spots

• Chicago Bulls
• Denver Nuggets
• Detroit Pistons
• Houston Rockets
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Miami Heat
• Oklahoma City Thunder
• Orlando Magic
• Phoenix Suns
• Portland Trail Blazers
• San Antonio Spurs *
• Washington Wizards *

The Bulls, Nuggets, Pistons, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Thunder, Magic, Suns, and Trail Blazers are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

That won’t necessarily be the case for the Spurs and Wizards though. Both clubs have just 14 players on full-season standard contracts, with one on a 10-day deal — Bismack Biyombo for San Antonio and Jaylen Nowell for Washington. Once those contracts expire, the Spurs and Wizards could open up a roster spot if they opt not to retain Biyombo and Nowell, respectively.

“As a competitor in the league, you always want to play for something and compete for something,” Craig said. “I’m a super competitor and I want to play basketball the right way at the highest level. Just to get an opportunity to come play with these guys was like a no-brainer.”

Craig, who has been out of action since December 30 with a sprained right ankle, told Terada that he’s feeling good, but he’s taking his return day by day. He’s trying to learn all he can about how the Celtics operate, and that process started with a quick tour of the facilities on Friday before accompanying the team on a flight for tonight’s game at New York.

Craig knows he may not have a large role with the defending champs, but he provides veteran wing depth and gives them another capable three-point shooter.

“They’re a deep team, super talented,” he said. “Well-coached, well-disciplined. They play the right way. They know what it takes to win playing defense. Playing together and having each other’s backs. You can just see it. The team chemistry and they allow each other to feed off each other and play together and I think that’s why they’ve been so dominant these past couple years.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

• Players were sad to lose Jaden Springer, who was traded to Houston on Thursday in a cost-cutting move, Terada adds in a separate story. The Rockets have already waived Springer, so he’ll be searching for his next job as a free agent. “Obviously, we’re gonna miss him,” Payton Pritchard said. “Jaden’s an unbelievable person. We loved him as a teammate. But hopefully he gets his opportunity and he can showcase what he’s capable of doing in this league. He’s an unbelievable player, unbelievable defender. I think there’s definitely a place for him in this league.”
• The Celtics were otherwise quiet at the deadline, which is a combination of the restrictions they face as a second-apron team and the faith that president of basketball operations Brad Stevens has in the current roster, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn reveals that Boston had interest in Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter, who was dealt to Cleveland, but wasn’t willing to part with Derrick White and draft assets to get involved in the bidding. “In our situation with our team this year, today was boring as hell,” Stevens said after the deadline. “It wasn’t going to be anything going and the phones didn’t ring. We had already had any discussions that we were going to have. We weren’t just going to do anything major because at the end of the day, even through our ups and downs through the last six weeks, what gives us our best chance to win is this group playing a little bit more like itself more of the time.”
• Kristaps Porzingis was a late scratch for tonight’s game due to an illness, Terada tweets. Boston is also without Jrue Holiday, who’s missing his second straight contest with a bruised shoulder.

February 6: The Celtics have agreed to a deal with forward Torrey Craig, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).

The eight-year NBA veteran was waived by the Bulls earlier this week in order to make room for the players they acquired in the deal that sent away Zach LaVine.

The Celtics had two open roster spots after trading away Jaden Springer at the deadline, meaning no corresponding move will be necessary to bring Craig aboard.

Earlier Thursday, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said acquiring a wing would be the first order of business for the Celtics regarding their open roster spots, according to MassLive’s Brian Robb (Twitter link).

Boston will address that need by adding a solid shooter in Craig, who has made 39.7% of 3.1 three-point attempts per game over the past three seasons with Phoenix and Chicago (141 total games).

The veteran swingman is also considered a solid, versatile perimeter defender and is an experienced playoff performer, appearing in 75 postseason games and starting in 19 of them.

Craig was limited to just nine appearances this season with the Bulls — he has battled injuries and wasn’t a significant part of the rotation even when healthy. Before being waived, he appeared to be nearing a return from a right ankle sprain that had sidelined him since December 30.

The Celtics still have some optionality with their 15th roster spot, which they’ll likely fill later in the season.

The players were previously sorted into groups of starters and reserves, but that had no bearing on their team placement for the new mini-tournament in this year’s game.

Below are each team’s selections, sorted in order of pick:

Team Shaq

• LeBron James, Lakers
• Stephen Curry, Warriors
• Anthony Davis, Mavericks
• Jayson Tatum, Celtics
• Kevin Durant, Suns
• Damian Lillard, Bucks
• James Harden, Clippers
• Jaylen Brown, Celtics

O’Neal had the first overall pick in the televised draft, selecting James, who holds the record for most All-Star appearances in a career. For the most part, O’Neal opted for the “old guard” of the NBA, so to speak. His team has a whopping 87 All-Star appearances (including this year) among its eight players.

The roster also unites a handful of players. Durant spent this week in trade rumors, with reports indicating he didn’t want to be traded to Curry’s Warriors. The two players were teammates for three seasons. This also will mark the first time James and Davis will play together since the blockbuster move that brought Doncic to L.A. Additionally, Curry, James, Durant, Tatum and Davis all played together on the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic Team.

Team Kenny

• Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves
• Jalen Brunson, Knicks
• Jaren Jackson Jr., Grizzlies
• Jalen Williams, Thunder
• Darius Garland, Cavaliers
• Evan Mobley, Cavaliers
• Cade Cunningham, Pistons
• Tyler Herro, Heat

In contrast to O’Neal’s roster, Smith opted for some of the younger stars across the league. Smith’s team has a combined 13 All-Star nods to their name — Williams, Mobley, Cunningham and Herro are all first-timers. Smith united a pair of Cavaliers, with Mobley and Garland joining forces.

Team Chuck

• Nikola Jokic, Nuggets
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
• Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
• Pascal Siakam, Pacers
• Alperen Sengun, Rockets
• Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
• Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers

Barkley went for a mix of experience in his group. He secured the top three expected players in the MVP race this season between Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander. He also landed Wembanyama with the 12th overall pick. Barkley’s group has a combined 35 All-Star honors, with Sengun and Wembanyama as first-time All-Stars and Antetkounmpo (nine) and Jokic (seven) leading the way.

A fourth team coached by Candace Parker will play in the tournament. She’ll be coaching whichever team wins this year’s Rising Stars Challenge — those rosters were announced earlier this week. Two teams will meet in a semifinal (game one) while the other two also play each other (game two). The winning team from each game moves on to the final round.

The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.

Based on the draft assets Boston controlled, per RealGM, that ’27 second-rounder figures to be either the Trail Blazers’ or Pelicans’ pick (whichever is least favorable; top-55 protected). In other words, the Rockets will only get that pick if either Portland or New Orleans is among the NBA’s top five teams in 2026/27.

FEBRUARY 5: The Celtics have agreed to trade guard Jaden Springer and a 2030 second-round pick to the Rockets in a cost-cutting move, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Charania, the two teams will also swap heavily-protected second-rounders. Kelly Iko of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Houston will send Boston a top-55 protected 2031 second-round selection.

A salary-dump deal involving Springer had long been anticipated for the defending champions, who had been operating well beyond the luxury tax line and had a projected end-of-season tax bill of about $65.6MM prior to this trade, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Moving off Springer’s expiring $4.02MM contract will reduce that projected tax payment to approximately $50.2MM, per Marks, while also opening up a second spot on Boston’s 15-man roster. It doesn’t impact their tax apron position — they remain over the second apron.

Teams can’t carry fewer than 14 players for more than 14 days at a time, so the Celtics will have up to two weeks to re-add a 14th man once their deal with the Rockets is official. Signing a replacement for Springer will bump the team’s tax bill back up a little, but the newcomer figures to be on a prorated minimum-salary deal and will have a far more modest cap hit than Springer did, so the accompanying tax penalty won’t be substantial.

As for the Rockets, they entered the day with more than $10MM in breathing room below the luxury tax line, so absorbing Springer’s $4.02MM salary doesn’t materially change their cap situation. They also have an open spot on their 15-man roster, meaning no one will have to be waived to finalize the deal.

Houston doesn’t have any trade exceptions available, but they can use a portion of their mid-level exception to take on Springer’s salary without sending out a player for matching purposes.

Springer was the 28th overall pick in the 2021 draft, but never developed into a reliable rotation player for the Sixers and was traded to the Celtics at last season’s deadline. The 22-year-old played sparingly in Boston too, appearing in just 43 games over the past year and averaging 1.9 points and 1.0 rebound in 6.3 minutes per contest.

Although Springer will be eligible for restricted free agency at the end of his contract, he’s not expected to receive a qualifying offer. In fact, he may reach unrestricted free agency before season’s end — if the Rockets want to use their 15th roster spot on another player, he’ll likely be the odd man out.

When it became clear that Durant wasn’t interested in reuniting with the Warriors, the three teams pivoted. The Heat and Warriors got together to finalize a Butler deal, while Durant now appears likely to remain in Phoenix through the deadline

According to Windhorst, there was a window after the Warriors’ talks for Durant fell through for the Heat to make a play for the Suns’ superstar forward, but Phoenix sought several additional assets that Miami didn’t want to give up.

“I do think there was some interest on both sides, but in the cursory discussions, from what I understand, Phoenix was looking for a massive return for Kevin Durant,” Windhorst said. “The Heat weren’t really into that game. They had gotten comfortable with acquiring Andrew Wiggins. That was a deal they had kind of agreed to the day before.”

Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:

• Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter is a name to watch ahead of the deadline, says Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). Previous reporting indicated that the Cavaliers are talking to Atlanta about Hunter, and Mannix confirms that Cleveland is considered the frontrunner, though he suggests other teams have also called about the 27-year-old.
• Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) has heard that the Hornets are “very open” to moving Miles Bridges, Cody Martin, and Vasilije Micic. Of those three players, Martin, who has an $8.12MM pseudo-expiring contract (next season’s salary is non-guaranteed) would likely be the easiest to move. Bridges has a pricey contract that runs through 2026/27, while Martin has more on-court value than Micic, who is on a $7.7MM de facto expiring deal.
• Having agreed to trade away Jaden Springer, the Celtics are on the lookout for a reserve wing player whom head coach Joe Mazzulla could trust more, sources tell Brian Robb of MassLive.com. Boston will likely target that sort of player on the buyout market if no trade options emerge today.

“Just really shocked, and you just don’t imagine that you’re going to get ready to go to sleep, and then you find out news like that. It’s still a grieving process right now. I miss my hermano,” Irving said of Doncic, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal (Substack link). “We had a lot of time together, Kieff (Markieff Morris) too, and Maxi (Kleber). We built some bonds that went beyond the basketball court.”

As Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes, Irving wasn’t asked a single question about Tuesday’s game, with all of the focus on his reaction to the trade. Irving reiterated multiple times that he was still trying to process the news, which broke late Saturday night.

“This is a business, it’s way above my pay grade, and I’ve just got to adjust and be ready to welcome in my new teammates with open arms and kind of be ready to go back to Dallas, too, to speak in front of our fans,” Irving said. “I know they are feeling it, too. I’m feeling it too, guys. So, yeah, it’s just an adjustment period. I don’t want to downplay this either, or disrespect our new guys. They’re going to help us win, and help us build toward a championship, but just like everyone else at home, when you kind of see it from afar, it hurts.”

“This is a weird case in NBA history to be a part of,” Irving said later (story via Christian Clark of The Athletic). “At the same time, it’s the nature of our business. It is a ruthless business. So you have to be able to pick up the pieces. Still run toward the championship. That’s the ultimate goal on why I play. Having other guys who are championship guys helps, too. But at the same time, we have to acknowledge that our little Slovenian president is no longer here and we have to adjust.”

According to Bontemps, Irving also spoke about his last season in Boston back in 2018/19, when Davis was a frequently rumored target of the Celtics. Irving said the plan at the time was for him to team with Davis, Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum, though that obviously didn’t happen — he and Durant both signed with Brooklyn in 2019 free agency, while Davis wound up being traded to Los Angeles.

“Yeah. That has no foreshadowing either, on anything, guys. Just letting you know right now,” Irving said with a laugh, referring to speculation swirling around Suns star Durant ahead of Thursday’s 2:00 pm CT trade deadline. “We were discussing in 2018, just for everybody at home that’s watching, because I know all of these words are going to be looked at.

“But yeah, in 2018, it was a dream for Kyrie, AD, KD to be on one team and still keep JT and let him grow and then see how it goes. But back then, those young guys weren’t ready to be in trade rumors, man. Our locker room splintered after that once they found out. It wasn’t [Jaylen Brown] or JT, but our locker room splintered once they started figuring out the trade rumors, and our season started going in a whole different way.”

After Tuesday’s win over the Clippers, Lakers superstar LeBron James said he was completely caught off guard by the three-team mega-deal as well and confirmed that he had no idea it was in the works, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN relays.

“My emotions were all over the place, obviously,” James said. “We had just come off a big win, a huge win in the Garden. I was out. I mean, you guys have seen the report. I was out with my family at dinner and got the news, and the first time I heard it, I thought it was for sure fake. I thought it was a hoax, people messing around or whatever. But then when AD called me, AD FaceTimed me and I talked to him for quite a while, and even when I got off the phone with him, it still didn’t seem real.”

Even though he was shocked by the trade, James said he was fully on board with having Doncic on the roster and that he was “committed to the Lakers organization,” McMenamin adds.

“Luka’s been my favorite player in the NBA for a while now,” James said. “I think you guys know that. And I’ve always just tried to play the game the right way and inspire the next generation. And Luka happens to be one of them. And now, we’re teammates. So it’ll be a very seamless transition.”